The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - B

Rated PG, 144 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

It's mostly for fans, but "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" is a rousing conclusion to "Rings" series

For fans of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" the latest film entry, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" will be a bittersweet experience. It's all coming to a close, but does so such a splendid, spirited manner you may not care who's who (and if you're like me and unfamiliar with the Tolkien books, that's been the case for all these movies). I give credit to director, producer co-writer and general master Peter Jackson, who's done a terrific job in bringing the movies to life -though I'm still unsure that six  movies is really necessary - and while he does so again in "Five Armies" in typical, overlong and epic fashion, most of it is still entertaining. By entering the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), and his fellow Dwarves have roused the dragon Smaug who in his anger flies out to destroy Lake Town. In the meantime, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) has identified the evil Necromancer as Sauron  (Benedict Cumberbatch) who has returned to Middle-earth and ordered countless Orcs to attack the Lonely Mountain. The thrilling "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" is a thrilling, action-packed conclusion to this epic series, which seems a bit much at times except for providing extensive fodder for the fan boy set and/or the legions of fans of the series, which has helped make this a global, worldwide hit. "The Hobbit," to its credit, is more efficiently made and moves along quicker: it wastes no time in tying up the Smaug storyline from the second film (which is my favorite in this series) and moving on to the central battles that are the centerpiece of this film. Those battle scenes are the most memorable, sublime part of "Five Battles" and Jackson continues to amaze with the technical details, visual flair and special effects, all first-rate and likely seeing Oscar nominations. Freeman is given less to do here but grounds the movie well along with Armitage and McKellan, not to mention the ubiquitous Cumberbatch, who gets to scowl more here in voice form as the chief villlain, seemingly since Smaug's story ends over the prologue of the movie. And for fans of this series, a handful of major characters die here, but I won't spoil it for you except that overall "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," while overlong and busy, is still a rousing, fitting conclusion with some sublime visuals to keep the non-Tolkien fans engaged for nearly 2 1/2 hours.

Top Five - B-

Chris Rock

Rated R, 101 minutes
Wes's Grade: B-

Loose and raunchy, "Top Five" is right up Rock's alley

Chris Rock is a brilliantly sharp, smart comedian, though some of his movie choices don't always reflect that (I know you're friends with Sandler, but if he asks again, it's OK to tell him no). That should change with the charmingly dirty and loose new comedy "Top Five," but it could because he directs and writes the movie himself. The movie tells the story of New York City comedian-turned-film star Andre Allen (Rock), whose unexpected encounter with a journalist (Rosario Dawson) forces him to confront the comedy career-and the past-that he's left behind. Directed and written by and starring Rock, the witty, raunchy and mostly enjoyable "Top Five" should appeal to Rock's fan base. It's essentially an extended stand-up session with a little plot that gets in the way, but riffing on a variety of different subjects with Dawson, mostly on relationships (and how the movie "Planet of the Apes" contributed to Martin Luther King's assassination, among many others), is Rock's specialty, and it will have you cracking up in many parts of the movie. He seems to have a wide array of famous friends, from the likes of Sandler, Whoopi Goldberg, Taraji P. Henson to Sherri Shepherd, Tracy Morgan and Cedric the Entertainer, all of whom either cameo or play some silly part in it, all of which seems rather unnecessary given that he and Rock's conversations are the highlight of an otherwise plotless movie (and the film's funniest - and most raunchy - scene involves Dawson with a tampon covered in hot sauce). The entertaining "Top Five" provides some solid laugh-out loud laughs and is definitely worth it if you enjoy Chris Rock, just don't let the movie get in the way of the comedy.

Exodus: Gods and Kings: C

Rated PG-13, 150 minutes

Wes’s Grade: C

Visually stunning but sluggish epic “Exodus: Gods and Kings” divides more than the Red Sea

I will give this disclaimer up front, mainly for my many Christian and evangelical friends who may see the divisive new epic action film “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” It is Biblically-inspired, which means if you’re going for a faithful adaptation of the Moses story from the Bible, you won’t find it here. Overlong and with a slow start, it is otherwise peppered with impressive visuals and sets, “Exodus” isn’t as outrageously different as this year’s similarly-inspired epic “Noah,” (no rock people here) but there’s still some considerable differences and interpretations (the manner in which God speaks to Moses, as well as Moses writing the Ten Commandments are among them) that may cause some consternation among the Christian set. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, here it is: Moses (Christian Bale) is working diligently with the help of God to free his people from the oppressive Ramses (Joel Edgerton) to the promised land.  God’s use of deadly plagues finally helps set Moses and his people on the way, but not without even more obstacles along the way. Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Oscar-winner Steven Zaillian (“Schlinder’s List”), the slick “Exodus: Gods and Kings” is a mildly entertaining but sluggish historical epic that is loosely, and I repeat, loosely based on the Bible story made famous by Charlton Heston in the 1956 DeMille classic “The Ten Commandments,” which this film will be inevitably (and perhaps unfairly) compared to (more on that later). The slower initial acts give way to the later, more energetic scenes filled with plagues and the actual journey; scored by Alberto Iglesias (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”) and photographed handsomely by Dariusz Wolski, who has worked with Scott before on films such as “Prometheus,” the film is a visual feast, which is unsurprising given Scott’s (who dedicates the film to his later brother Tony) eye for this. As well as the first-rate (and likely Oscar-nominated) visuals, some things work better than others here, including Bale’s strong performance, who paints Moses as a flawed figure with mental issues, while others do not, such as the interesting miscasting of John Turturro as the Ramses Pharoah father Seti I, as well as the famous Red Sea crossing, which I found disappointing compared to “The Ten Commandments.” Scott visualizes it more as a “drying up” than an actual parting a huge change that will divide more than the sea does in the movie. On that note, “Exodus: Gods and Kings” isn’t a great film, somewhat missing the point and upsetting many in the process with its inaccuracies; it works OK as pure entertainment (and visual spectacle), as long as you don't take your Bible with you.

Wild - B+

Rated R, 115 minutes
Wes's Grade: B+

Reese Witherspoon

Powerful, well-acted "Wild" is a trail of change

Yep, this is the movie that has Reese Witherspoon traipsing across the mountains in search of another Oscar. Well, that's maybe a bit of an oversimplification, but the new drama "Wild" is a resonating true story of a woman who took to nature to help her let go and move on. On paper, it looks like one of those inspiring movie-of-the-week type stories, but it's much deeper than that. Superbly acted and superbly engrossing, "Wild" is a trail of change for those who need it: dark, folksy and deeply satisfying. With the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her mother (Laura Dern), Cheryl Strayed (Witherspoon, all de-glammed here) has lost all hope. After years of reckless, self-destructive behavior, she makes a rash decision. With absolutely no experience, driven only by sheer determination, Cheryl hikes more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone as one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddens, strengthens, and ultimately heals her. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee ("The Dallas Buyers Club") and based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir and account "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail," "Wild" is a darkly-shaded but moving portrait of healing and change, with Witherspoon's sublime, much-talked about performance taking center stage. Vallee, who guided McConaughey to his transformative Oscar-turn last year in "DBC," could do the same this year for Witherspoon, and though it's not as physically transformative (except for a couple of topless scenes, for those that care about such things), it's certainly as gritty and psychologically challenging in a role that's very much against type for the usually upbeat actress. And much like "DBC," "Wild" is buoyed by a strong supporting turn, from previous Oscar-nominee Dern in an illuminating turn as Strayed's hippie-chick Mom who impacted her life and ultimately shaped her womanhood. Both Witherspoon and especially the lovely Dern (seen in flashbacks) are captivating, and it would be unsurprising to see both collect some accolades along this year's award season trail. Nick Hornby's ("About a Boy") script, as with many of these true stories, alters some major details of Strayed's story (some significant folks are missing) and inserts a few too many folksy Simon and Garfunkel tunes, but ultimately those are minor points from this satisfying, lovingly photographed journey along the trail. The poignant, very absorbing "Wild" fully realizes the old saying that a rough and rocky road often lead to a beautiful place. I just like my beautiful place to include an LaQuinta Inn and a toilet, thank you. Well worth it and expect to see a lot of Witherspoon and Dern this awards season.

The Babadook - B

Unrated, 93 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

Low-budget horror film "The Babadook" creepily affecting

You can't get rid of the Babadook. That's the premise of the creepy, original new low-budget Australian horror film "The Babadook," about a supernatural creature that torments whoever is made aware of its presence. Relying more on story and character than blood, it's filled with some genuinely scary and also touching moments. Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible to love. Thanks to a pop-up story book, Samuel's dreams are plagued by a monster named Mr. Babadook he believes is coming to kill them both. Directed and written by Jennifer Ken and based her 2005 short film "MONSTER," the intense, low-budget "The Babadook" is a minimalist but creepy horror film that derives most of its thrills from what is unseen, and not on blood and gore, which is a refreshingly unconventional in a genre that feels that the more the blood, the better. The heart of the film is the disruption the creature provides to the unsual and often unstable mother-son relationship touchingly and believably portrayed by Australian character actress Davis and especially newcomer Wiseman, who is quite good here. The memorable relationship recalls another classic (but completely different) horror film, "The Sixth Sense," back when M. Night Shyamalan actually made good movies. The low-grade special effects (a budgetary constraint, for sure), in which you see very little of the creature, is the biggest reason that it works so well and provides so many scares (particularly in the way in which it torments and possesses it inhabitants). "Babadook," with a fantastic climax that will leave you breathless, makes it one of 2014's most memorable horror films. Worth a look.

Citizenfour - B

Rated R, 114 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

Riveting, fascinating documentary "Citizenfour" explores surveillance, privacy issues

U.S. surveillance programs, especially on its own citizens, has been a hot topic for some time, and raises numerous issues regarding privacy and security. This is explored in the provocative, relevant documentary "Citzenfour" from documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, who has examined the subject in her previous documentaries, the Oscar-nominated "My Country, My Country" (2006) and "The Oath" (2010). In January 2013, Poitras started receiving encrypted e-mails from someone identifying himself as "citizen four," who was ready to blow the whistle on the massive covert surveillance programs run by the NSA and other intelligence agencies. In June 2013, she (along with journalist Glenn Greenwald, who plays a prominent role here) flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with the man who turned out to be Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her and the recordings are the basis of the film. Poitras' often fascinating and compelling documentary "Citizenfour" is a must-see, though admittedly - while this is very much a pertinent issue - some of it is a little dry. Otherwise known as "the Snowden documentary," this is the third part of what Poitras considers a trilogy following her aforementioned documentaries "My Country, My Country" and "The Oath," though this one could have wider appeal. The film is best when it looks at the wider impact that Snowden's revelations have upon the general public; occasionally it gets bogged down in too many mundane details that occasionally bog it down. Even with that, "Citizenfour's" apprehensive, even nervous, energy as it unfolds is part of its appeal and one of the main reasons to see it, though this may not have considerable mainstream appeal. It doesn't seek to resolve the issues it raises, but it does make you think the next time you make a phone call, text or visit a website, how and if that's being used by the NSA for security purposes. However you feel about Snowden, "Citizenfour" is a satisfying, worthy and thought-provoking documentary about our privacy, or lack thereof.

The Homesman - C+

Rated R, 122 minutes
Wes's Grade: C+

Strong performances help the unsatisfying western "Homesman"

The handsomely "The Homesman" is a downer and a bit of an odd duck. Based on a novel by Glendon Swarthout and co-directed, written, produced and starring Tommy Lee Jones, it has a great cast and is peppered with some affecting moments, but the depressing story ends on an unsatisfying note. When three women living on the edge of the American frontier are driven mad by harsh pioneer life, the task of saving them falls to the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank). Transporting the women by covered wagon to Iowa, she soon realizes just how daunting the journey will be, and employs a low-life drifter, George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), to join her. Swank's strong turn as the bossy frontier woman who has some obstacles ahead of her is the most memorable aspect of the largely downbeat, unsatisfying but well-acted western drama "The Homesman." It's a little disappointing for a film that provides a well-rounded, strong female character only to have her exit the film due to a man. Jones is also good, but he gives him the hammiest role in the role that's certain to steal scenes, though Oscar-winner Swank holds her own. As the three women, Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto and Sonja Richter are all affecting but underused, though it's nice to see Gummer share a scene for the first time on film with her mom, Meryl Streep, in what amounts to be an extended cameo at the end of the movie. The handsomely shot film captures some of the pensiveness of the lonely frontier, but the oddness of it all disconnects its audience late in the last act when Swank leaves the film. Jones, a serviceable director and writer, has done this thing better with 2005's "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" and I'd recommend renting that instead of the well-acted but downbeat "The Homesman."